Reach For Me Now
by neldluva
Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more. Zuko/Sokka, will go up to rating M with explicit m/m sex.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Beta: The illustrious Banditjoeykuba at LJ. Thanks so much for helping me straighten things out!

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: up to NC17, this chapter PG

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: None in particular for this chapter, though later on there will be some fairly explicit m/m sex.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more.

Author's Notes: This is my first foray into Avatar fanfiction, and I'm excited to get this up. These first few chapters feel a bit bumpy to me because Zuko turned out to be unexpectedly difficult to write, but I can only promise they'll get better.

You may perhaps be perplexed by the absence of Suki. Not that I don't love her character (and even the Sokka/Suki pairing), but it just ended up being easier for me to not have her present. I'm pretending that she and Sokka never got romantic.

One last thing: As I'm writing this story, I'm listening obsessively to the soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil show, Ka. It makes me think of firebenders, go figure. The title to the fic is the title of one of their songs.

* * *

The Avatar. The one he had been hunting for so long, the one he had sworn to bring down – the one he was now aiding. Zuko rolled over, facing the other wall of his tent. As usual, he was having some trouble sleeping, and not just because of the rock that he imagined Toph had shoved up to dig right into his shoulder.

Not a day, not a moment went by that he didn't think of his uncle and what had happened in Ba Sing Se. Joining the Avatar and his motley group had lessened his rage, but it had not healed his conscience. He wanted more than anything to see Iroh again. He needed to apologize and to hear that everything was alright again; he needed that calm voice of reason – he needed advice.

With a quiet sigh, Zuko got up and left his tent, going to sit beside the dying embers of the fire. He built up the flames again, watching the outer edge where the fire turned red and orange. He scooped some up in his hand, just watching it and feeling it tickle his fingers with warmth.

"Can't sleep?"

Zuko turned, slightly surprised to see Sokka up and about. "I thought I was the only one up."

"What, a guy can't feel a little stressed?" Sokka gave a little half smile and sat down on the log next to him. "It's not like we have to save the world or anything."

The corner of Zuko's mouth twitched. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I just always thought you were a heavy sleeper. I can always hear you snoring from my tent."

Sokka looked slightly affronted. "Hey … I'll have you know I'm a deep breather."

Zuko's mouth twitched again. "Right."

They both stared at the fire for several long moments before Sokka broke the silence again. "Hey … I don't think I ever really thanked you for helping me break my dad out of that prison."

Zuko lifted his eyebrow, looking at Sokka. The other boy kept looking at the fire, apparently thoughtful. "It was nothing."

"No, seriously. That was a good thing you did. I didn't think you had it in you … I didn't even want you to come along." Sokka looked up again. "So thanks."

Zuko finally let himself smile slightly. "You're welcome, I guess." He let the silence stretch, feeling companionable. Sokka's presence had none of the tension and possible volatility of Katara's, or even Aang's condensed power and energy. It felt refreshing, for a change.

"You know," Zuko started after a while, "I've never really had friends I could look out for like that."

"Nah, really?" Sokka asked, smirking. "I wonder why."

"Hey," Zuko said, frowning. "I wasn't always the bad guy who was chasing you around."

"Yeah, I know." Sokka leaned back, smirk still lingering. "But you've gotta admit, you're not a very cheerful guy."

"Just because I don't laugh at your jokes doesn't make me gloomy," Zuko retaliated, though his frown lifted. "I guess I was just … anti-social, or something."

"Or the prince of the Fire Nation. That probably doesn't win you lots of friends."

Zuko lifted his eyebrow again, looking at him. "I guess that's right."

"Oh well," Sokka sighed, leaning back more. "You've got friends now. Even Katara doesn't hate you anymore. I think."

"Oh goodie," Zuko said, leaning back with him and putting his hands on the ground behind him. "Friends. Just what I always wanted."

"Hey, don't knock it," Sokka said, tone getting serious. "I didn't have many friends either. Most of the kids in my tribe were just babies, and Katara was … well, Katara. And look at this. Aang and Toph are my friends, but Aang is the Avatar, and Toph is a little rough around the edges."

"You're just jealous that her jokes are better," Zuko replied, though his face softened. "So I'm the only one who doesn't intimidate you too much?"

"Well, there's Appa…" Sokka's voice trailed off, and he looked away. "Yeah, I guess."

"Aang once asked me if he and I could be friends, if there were no war. I could ask you the same thing." Zuko shrugged slightly. "You're my friend."

Sokka turned to him, grinning. "Never thought I'd hear that from a firebender."

"Never thought I'd say that to a water tribe peasant." Zuko smiled back, little more than a tiny curve of his lips.

Sokka opened his mouth, clearly about to retort, when his eyes narrowed and focused on Zuko's hand, resting in the dirt near the log. He leaned in, quietly sliding a knife out of the sheath on his belt. "Stay very still," he whispered in Zuko's ear, eyes remaining focused. "There's a rock snake next to your hand."

Zuko stiffened, resisting pulling his hand away. The poisonous snake could kill with one strike. If Sokka hadn't spotted it…

"I can get it," Sokka continued. "Just … keep … still." He leaned in more, practically locking his arms around Zuko to get a proper angle and balance for a strike.

Zuko kept still as ordered, but his eyes slowly shut. He hadn't been embraced for so long, not since Iroh had been imprisoned. Though Sokka's wiry arms were nothing like Iroh's, they were firm, protective, comforting.

He was startled from his thoughts by Sokka's sudden movement and the dull wet sound of a knife slicing through flesh. Sokka tossed the head of the snake away and let Zuko out of his hold, looking triumphant.

"There, got it," he said, wiping the blood from his blade. "Lucky thing I spotted that."

Zuko swallowed and cleared his throat. "Lucky. Yeah." He looked up at the sky. "If we don't go to bed soon, it's going to be early rather than late."

Sokka yawned widely and stretched his arms. "Yeah, that's enough excitement for tonight. Don't let any rock snakes bite." With that, he got up and retreated to his own tent.

Zuko sat still for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts, before he did the same. However, there was still no rest to be found. That rock was still there, and he couldn't help but puzzle over his strange reaction to Sokka until the stars started to fade.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: up to NC17, this chapter PG

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: None in particular for this chapter, though later on there will be some fairly explicit m/m sex.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more.

Author's Notes: This is my first foray into Avatar fanfiction, and I'm excited to get this up. These first few chapters feel a bit bumpy to me because Zuko turned out to be unexpectedly difficult to write, but I can only promise they'll get better.

You may perhaps be perplexed by the absence of Suki. Not that I don't love her character (and even the Sokka/Suki pairing), but it just ended up being easier for me to not have her present. I'm pretending that she and Sokka never got romantic.

* * *

Zuko didn't rise with the sun the next morning. Rather, he rose when that damn rock that had been gouging his back suddenly jerked him upright, still only half-awake and blinking.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Toph crowed from outside his tent.

Zuko scowled and grumbled, hearing the others laugh. He pulled himself upright and lifted the door of his tent to join them, sitting in front of the fire again and accepting the bowl of rice Katara pushed into his hands.

"Eat up," she told him. "You and Aang have a lot of training to do."

He grumbled again, still not quite awake. His back was straight as he ate, manners impeccable as he had been taught, and not a single grain of rice spilled. Some habits were hard to break.

"Come on, Zuko!" Aang said, getting to his feet with a gust of wind that made the low fire flicker. "We have lots to do!"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Zuko said, voice still gruff from sleep. He climbed to his feet and followed Aang out to the wide, flat stretch of land they had set aside for their training area. Slowly, with control, they began to flow through the firebending forms. Zuko had to admit it was pretty much like dancing with occasional bursts of flame, not that he'd ever say that out loud. Anyway, the forms made him feel strong and vital, like one of the Sun Warriors. He wasn't sure how much he could say for Aang. The kid was trying, that much was clear, but his moves were still amateur and sloppy. He was still just a little too timid to be giving it his all, apparently. So Zuko drilled him harder, the only way he could think of to push Aang into more powerful bending.

"Stop, stop," Aang gasped after a few hours, panting with exertion. "That's enough … I can't do any more today."

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. "We don't have much time, and you need more practice."

"I'm wiped out," Aang said, frowning and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Firebending is hard."

Zuko backed off and nodded. He understood – firebending _was_ hard, he should know. That didn't change the fact that the comet was coming and they needed every ounce of Avatar power they could get out of Aang. "Fine. Take a rest."

"How's the jerkbending going?"

Zuko spun around, narrowing his eyes at Sokka. "You can take a rest too. Firebending is important."

Sokka just grinned more and stepped away from the tree he had been leaning against to watch them. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that."

"Lay off of Zuko, Sokka," Aang said, frowning at them both. "You don't have to come over and tease him all the time."

"Ah, he knows I'm just kidding. Right, buddy?" Sokka slung his arm over Zuko's shoulders, dragging him down a few inches.

"Right, buddy," Zuko grumbled, wrestling his way out from the arm.

"Well, if you're sure…" Aang said, though he still looked skeptical.

The ground shook slightly, and Toph appeared next to Aang, looking as maniacal as usual. "Okay, Twinkletoes, if you're done with your jerkbending, it's my turn to whip you into shape."

"Toph!" Aang whined. "I'm tired, I just spent three hours firebending!"

"And now you get to spend three hours earthbending. Come on." She snagged him by his collar, dragging him away from Zuko and Sokka.

Sokka coughed quietly and scuffed at the ground. "So, uh … you know I'm kidding, right? About the jerkbending?"

"Yeah," Zuko said, searching for how he felt and finding only amused exasperation. "It's fine."

"Good. As long as we're cool." Sokka leaned back, looking at the sky.

Zuko watched him, shaking his head. "Did you want something? You always come over here to watch us but you never join in."

Sokka turned to him, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, I can't do the bending thing, and I figure you guys wouldn't want me messing up your practice. It's important for Aang. But I was wondering … if you weren't too wiped out with all that jerkbending…"

"What?"

"Well, you're the only other one of us who uses a sword." Sokka grinned more and laughed a little. "Don't want you getting rusty or anything."

Zuko's lips twitched into another small smile, and he reached behind him to get his swords. "You mean you don't want to get rusty, sitting around all day doing nothing."

"Hey, I do things," Sokka retorted, pulling his own star-earth sword free. "I do lots of things."

"Eating doesn't count." Zuko began to circle him, double swords out and ready.

Sokka narrowed his eyes, lifting his sword in a defensive stance. "Oh yeah? And what do you do when you're not teaching Aang?"

Zuko felt the repartee had gone on long enough – he had never particularly liked lengthy speeches in the middle of his fights. He struck, Sokka blocked, and they were sparring.

It was a good match. They were both fast, and Sokka's heavier sword balanced out the advantage Zuko had with two blades. They soon began to sweat under the hot midday sun, but neither would back down. They finally ended in a draw, a proper way to end a sparring match, and retreated to the shade under the tree to recover their breath.

"Not bad," Sokka said, taking a sip from his water pouch. "And you didn't even cheat."

"I had no reason to cheat," Zuko replied, wiping away some sweat. "We were just practicing, right? Keeping you from getting fat?"

Sokka snorted and punched him lightly on the arm. "You really are kind of a jerk sometimes."

Zuko shrugged, taking up the joke. "Hey, it's what I do. Jerkbending. You said so yourself."

Sokka grinned more and stood up, stretching his arms. "Okay, I think I earned some food. You coming?"

"Yeah," Zuko replied, following him back to camp. In the distance, he could see Toph and Aang, still working hard on the earthbending. He sighed and turned away, just in time to see Sokka dive for the pot of rice.

Katara stopped him, standing between them and the rice with her arms crossed. "And what do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"Come on, Katara," Sokka pleaded, trying to inch around her. "We were just working out really hard, I'm hungry."

Katara made a face, holding one hand in front of her nose. "Not smelling like that you're not. Go wash off, both of you. You're both sweaty and disgusting."

"You mean manly!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling a pose and flexing his biceps.

Katara just lifted her eyebrow and pushed at him. "Right. Manly. So go wash off all that manly before you make the rice wilt."

Sokka stuck out his tongue, but did as she said, turning to go to the river nearby. "Come on, Zuko. Looks like she just can't handle our manly stench."

Zuko glanced back at Katara, who just shook her head and bent to stir the rice again. He quickly ran after Sokka. Katara was theoretically fine with him, or at least less antagonistic, but he still couldn't quite feel comfortable around her. Maybe someday he'd be able to trust her like she said she trusted him, but for now, it felt kind of weird to have her at his back.

Sokka, of course, was already half-naked. The river conveniently flowed into a few little pools, and the current wasn't too fast. It was the perfect bathing river, if a little cold for Zuko's taste. He followed Sokka's example, tugging off his jacket and shirt. He was just reaching for his pants when he noticed Sokka's gaze.

"What?" he asked, frowning. He got enough staring, considering.

Sokka shook his head and finished pulling his clothes off. "You've got scars…"

For the first time in a while, Zuko felt a bright, hot burst of anger, nearly uncontrollable. He should have expected it, everybody else stared at the scar, and Sokka was more of an idiot than he seemed if he thought Zuko could ever forget. "Gee, thanks," he grated out, going to pick up his clothes again. "I forgot. Thanks so much for reminding me." He turned to go, stomping off to find his own pool.

Sokka's quick footsteps followed close behind him, gripping his arm and turning him again. "No, wait! I'm not that much of a jerk, I didn't mean to…"

"Well, you did. Congratulations." Zuko wrenched away, unconsciously tilting his head so his hair fell to cover the scar.

"Hey." Sokka's voice was quieter and sincere. "I'm sorry. Seriously. I didn't mean to bring all that up. I just didn't expect all the other scars."

Slowly Zuko's anger smoldered down to cinders, and he turned back to Sokka. "You've got some scars too."

"Yeah, but … you're a _prince_," Sokka said, as if that made any difference. "I would've thought…"

"No. Banished, remember? I've been living the same sort of life you have for the past three years." Zuko watched him through narrowed eyes, feeling some measure of forgiveness when he saw how Sokka stumbled though his words.

Sokka shrugged and nodded. "We've both been through some pretty tough stuff, I guess." He pointed to one jagged scar on his ribcage. "Penguin sledding. Cut myself on ice."

Zuko shook his head and sighed, giving in at last. "Fine. I don't need details, I just want a bath. Your sister was right, we do stink."

Sokka grinned and, before Zuko could blink again, was off back towards the river. "I win!" he shouted, moments before there was a huge splash.

Zuko smiled slightly, going to set his clothes down and get his pants and shoes off before joining him in the water. He didn't dive in as Sokka had, instead preferring to inch his way into the water and warm it as he went. Sokka, of course, was out in the middle of the river, floating on his back with the current. He flopped over and began swimming towards Zuko, moving naturally through the frigid water. Zuko just went deeper until his shoulders were covered, expending some energy to warm the water to a tolerable temperature.

"I don't know how you stand it," he muttered, lifting his feet to just float.

"Stand what? Being me? Well, it's hard work and all, but someone has to do it." Sokka dove underwater, doing a quick handstand before appearing in front of Zuko, hair still streaming and long with the water.

"No," Zuko said, "the cold water."

"Oh, that's easy," Sokka drawled. "This is, like, warm compared to the water at the pole. Now that was cold. At least you can be mostly naked in this stuff."

"Cold," Zuko maintained, sinking more until just his eyes were above the water, black hair floating around his head. He watched as Sokka flipped over onto his back again, kicking in circles around the little pool. Zuko just relaxed, feeling comfortably supported by the water and letting any tension fade with the heat he generated.

"Sneak attack!" Sokka shouted, shattering the calm as he jumped on Zuko, tackling him into the water.

Zuko gasped and swallowed some water, surprised by the attack even with the warning, and just barely restrained himself by reacting instinctively and too violently. Instead, he flowed with it, wrestling away from Sokka and coming up for air before trying to dunk the other boy. It wasn't an easy game … Sokka was as quick as an eel and as slippery as one too. Zuko spent most of his time getting dunked, feeling Sokka's hands firm on his shoulders before squirming away to try again.

At last, Sokka backed off, still laughing breathlessly. "That was good," he said, still catching his breath as he drifted back to shore. "Of course, you suck, but I don't mind that."

Zuko scowled a little and brushed the wet hair out of his face, going to relax near the shore with him. "The water's cold…"

"Excuses, excuses," Sokka said, flopping a hand at him but still just playing, judging by the grin on his lips. "Still … I gotta give it to you, you're one slippery bastard."

"You too," Zuko mumbled, warming up the water again. "So what's that, some kind of game you Water Tribe kids play?"

Sokka snorted quietly. "No. Too dangerous near the poles … the water's too cold. But like I said, with water like this, it's fine." He tilted his head back, letting the ends of his loose wolftail touch the water.

Zuko sighed and shifted a little closer, sharing the warm water he was creating.

Sokka's lips curved into a wider smile, and he cracked open an eye at Zuko. "Warm water. Hey, you didn't –"

"No. I'm a firebender." He made a face and sniffed a little, looking across the river. "Anyway, that would be crude."

Sokka just chuckled and reached over to poke one of Zuko's scars. Not the big one, just one of the smaller ones on his arm.

Zuko tensed, of course, so startled that he might have burned Sokka if his hands hadn't been under water. He jerked his head towards the other boy, eyes wide. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice quiet and a little too high.

"Just wanna see what they feel like," Sokka replied easily, calmly, like he was trying to comfort him. He kept prodding, rubbing with his fingertips.

Zuko relaxed minutely, still unsure what exactly was going on and clueless as to what to think about it, let alone do. But Sokka's touch was gentle, inquisitive, and at least he hadn't touched the big scar. Zuko kept watching Sokka's face, trying to puzzle it all out.

"Hey, guys! Katara made you take a bath too?"

Sokka jerked his hand away as soon as they heard Aang's voice, looking around to try to find him. "Yeah, she couldn't take our manly stench," he said, voice still easy and not betraying any hint of what he had been doing.

"I don't blame her," Aang said, smiling at them before jumping into the water. He came up and flipped onto his back, floating with the current like Sokka had done. "Ah, water's nice today."

Zuko lifted himself out of the water, going back to his clothes and towel. He didn't look back to where Sokka and Aang were lounging, still feeling too confused and trying to sort it out. The way Sokka acted with him had changed, and it had his mind going in loops.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: up to NC17, this chapter PG

Beta: the incredible banditjoeykuba

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: None in particular for this chapter, though later on there will be some fairly explicit m/m sex.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more. And finally we get to see some kisses.

* * *

Katara stole Aang away that afternoon, going back to the river to practice his waterbending. Aang had that element down pat, but none of them wanted his skills getting rusty. Zuko relaxed, enjoying the rare moment of laziness, and went to lounge with Appa. He'd struck up some semblance of a friendship with the big, smelly beast, and now he knew all the spots where Appa liked to be itched.

"Here you go," he said quietly, tossing an apple into Appa's mouth. "You're not doing much either, are you?"

Appa whuffled, flicking his ear back and forth and tilting his head for Zuko to scratch. Zuko rolled his eyes and buried his hands in the thick white fur, scratching behind the bison's ear. Appa made another happy noise and turned his head to lick at him.

Zuko grumbled and backed up, wiping the bison-slobber off his face. "That's disgusting. I really wish you didn't have five stomachs."

Appa just blinked sleepily at him, tilting his head for more itching. Zuko sighed and gave in. Appa really was a loveable beast, once you got past the smell.

"Hey, Sparky," Zuko heard from behind him.

He glanced around, looking down at Toph. "I have a name, you know."

"I don't call anyone by their names. Duh." She sat on the ground, grinning up at him with her sightless eyes.

Zuko tossed another apple into Appa's mouth and went to sit next to her. The blind girl was plainly a mystery to him … he knew next to nothing about her. And he was still a little guilty about burning her feet, though not so guilty that he didn't feel a healthy amount of wariness around her. She was certainly not as helpless as her disability could have made her.

"So, seen any snakes today?" she asked, aiming for innocent and hitting mischievous.

"You heard that, huh?" he said, watching her carefully. "It was lucky Sokka spotted it."

Toph snorted and tossed her head. "It wasn't _lucky_," she said, lowering her voice. "There wasn't a snake."

Zuko frowned, feeling even more confused. "If there wasn't a snake, then why…"

Toph frowned right back, crossing her arms. "If you can't figure it out, then I'm not going to spell it out for you. Jeez, and I thought I was the blind one!" She stood again, brushing off the seat of her pants. "Just go talk to Sokka, will you? I'll be watching." She stamped her feet for emphasis, jostling him where he sat, and walked off.

Zuko remained on the ground, not moving even when Appa licked him again and made half of his hair stand up in a mad bison-lick. He wasn't quite sure what Toph was getting at, but he knew that Sokka had been acting stranger than usual. The random almost-embrace the night before, the sword practice, wrestling in the river, and then afterwards, when he touched Zuko's scar (and not the big one, just one of the ones that didn't matter as much) – what did it all add up to? No matter how he pondered it, the only solution would be to actually talk to Sokka, and that wasn't necessarily choice number one. Zuko wasn't good with people on the best of days, and he seemed to have particular trouble reading Sokka.

If they were normal people, he mused, and not an exiled Fire Nation prince and an insane Water Tribe boy both crazy enough to tag along with the Avatar, then what Sokka was doing could be almost confused with flirtation. Or something like that. It wasn't like he was experienced in that department, though. He and Mai hadn't had a pristine relationship, and it was by no means normal. They had drifted together out of proximity and similarity of disposition, mostly. Which wasn't to say that he didn't really like her … right? She'd helped them back at the Boiling Rock, but only after giving him the biggest talking-to he'd ever gotten. He definitely wasn't sure what to think of her, and he had no idea what she thought of him, and now Sokka…

He shook his head and got up, smoothing down his hair. It seemed that Iroh had rubbed off on him – in times of stress, he made tea. After all that time of working at the tea house, he had learned that it took a lot more concentration than it looked like, and that was good for getting his mind off of stressful things. He made sure the leaves were just right, made sure the water was at the proper temperature, poured, and sipped. He relaxed again, resolving not to worry about what Toph had said until it became relevant.

Though of course, the peace was broken when his comrades smelled the tea and decided it was time for dinner. He helped where he could, pouring more tea as needed and feeling just a little proud when he saw how much everyone enjoyed it. The stint in the tea shop hadn't been all bad after all. With dinner came stories and laughter and a brighter fire, and that made Zuko feel better. This was all normal, exactly what had been going on since he had joined the Avatar and his friends.

The unfortunate side of this was that, after dinner and tea, everyone went to bed. For all of the day's activities, Zuko still wasn't exhausted enough to let go of his thoughts. He desperately wanted his uncle … he would have advice, he would know exactly what to do. Or at least, he'd say one of his stupid little proverbs to make Zuko realize what to do on his own. But Zuko couldn't even recall any of the more helpful proverbs, and none of them seemed to apply to his situation. It was just one big, stinking mess of confusing. If Zuko was right about the flirtation, and he had a feeling he probably was, then what did that mean? Did he want to be flirted with? Sokka was another guy, and so far Zuko hadn't felt any attraction to anyone else of his own gender. That didn't mean he couldn't start now, though, and the thought scared him a bit. He knew of one way to deal with his fears: he had to face them head-on, confront them, and take them down.

Trying to ignore the likely possibility of Toph listening and feeling everything he did, he emerged from his tent and tapped on the heavy cloth door to Sokka's. "Hey," he said quietly, hoping he wouldn't wake anyone else. "You awake?" There was no snoring, so Zuko had to assume that he was awake.

Sure enough, after some rustling and muttering Sokka poked his head out and looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"I … wanted to talk," Zuko continued, shifting uncomfortably. "Can I come in?"

Sokka blinked at him, looking a little surprised, but finally nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, pulling the door aside for him. "Kinda messy in here…"

"Doesn't matter." Zuko looked around for the clearest place to sit, and the only spot he saw was on Sokka's bedroll.

Sokka cleared away some of his things and went to sit next to him, keeping a few deliberate inches between them. "So what's up? Guy stuff? I'm good with guy stuff." He grinned widely at Zuko.

Zuko just watched him for a moment, wondering how he hadn't noticed anything before. Something, and he was fairly certain he knew what, had Sokka tense and nervous. That smile was just a little too wide, covering some other emotion so it couldn't leak through. Sokka's fingers were twitchy and fidgety, bouncing between the edge of his bedroll and his lap. He wouldn't focus on Zuko's face either – it wasn't that he was avoiding staring at the scar, he was avoiding looking at him at all. Zuko frowned slightly, bending a small flame into the palm of his hand to provide some light. Strange shadows appeared over their faces, but at least he could see Sokka's expression now.

"I guess you could call it guy stuff," he said, still quiet. "I've noticed you've been acting weird."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed … maybe I pulled a muscle or something," Sokka hedged, keeping his eyes on Zuko's hands and the flame.

"Not that kind of weird. Weird around me." Zuko kept watching him, waiting for him to do something that would tell what was going on. "Do we have to talk about something?"

"No!" Sokka squawked, almost too loudly. He quieted himself, taking a deep breath before dropping his voice to a near-whisper again. "It's … nothing."

Zuko frowned a little more. "Doesn't seem like nothing. I'm serious, I want to know."

Sokka remained silent, though his eyes flicked up, looking steadily into Zuko's. Zuko was surprised by how deep and blue they were, like the night sky by the light of the flame in his hand.

Zuko swallowed, wondering just what he was getting into. "Friends tell each other this stuff, right?"

Sokka tilted his head slightly, gaze getting a little more intense. Then, with absolutely no warning, his lips were on Zuko's, tongue sliding out to probe.

Though he had been expecting this, Zuko was caught off-guard. He quickly snuffed the flame before it grew out of control, but he didn't pull away. Instead, slowly, he began to kiss back, lips parting before Sokka's tongue. It was a clumsy boy-kiss, a little confused because they weren't sure if one of them was supposed to be the girl, but then Sokka's hand slid up lightly along Zuko's neck and into his hair, clenching at the strands right at the base of his skull. They both relaxed a little more, and Zuko reached up to hold Sokka's shoulders steady.

It felt surprisingly good to be kissed. Zuko hadn't realized how much he missed it, and he was similarly taken aback by how nice it felt to be kissed by Sokka in particular. Making out with Mai hadn't felt this fun or this complex. What Sokka lacked in experience, he made up for with enthusiasm, and that was what really caught Zuko off guard – the unspoken want and need. That was what felt the best, the fact that Sokka wanted him.

He broke the kiss, trying to catch his breath and organize his thoughts. He licked his lips, feeling them a little swollen and tasting like Sokka.

"Friends don't do that," Sokka said quietly, staying close enough that Zuko could still feel his breath. "Sorry." His hand was still in Zuko's hair, still clinging and holding him in place.

Zuko didn't have to turn over his thoughts much more until he found a reply. "I don't think I mind. If you don't. That felt … good, for me."

Zuko could tell Sokka was beaming even in the darkness of the tent. "Really? I mean, me too, it was kind of really _nice_, I've never done anything like that before and I thought it would suck, but it kind of felt really … wow."

"I know, you can shut up," Zuko said, though without his usual bite. "So … where do we go?"

"You want to leave?" Sokka's voice faltered a little, cracking despite their whispered voices, and let go of Zuko's hair.

Zuko pondered that. He didn't actually want to go … back in his own tent, he knew, there was only another night of restlessness and memories, not to mention that rock that Toph had never pushed back down. And he felt tired and comfortable.

"No," he said at last. "I want to stay, if you want me to stay."

Sokka nodded, running his nose up the smooth side of Zuko's face. "I want you to stay. And you don't mind … um, sharing the bed?"

"Not as long as you don't kick too hard." He shifted to lie down, stretching out on the bedroll.

Again, Zuko could feel Sokka's grin like the light of the sun. "Good." He scrambled around, trying several positions until he found one that was comfortable, pressed against Zuko's back and breathing into his hair. "Night."

"Good night," Zuko replied quietly, settling into the embrace. It took some getting used to, sleeping with another person so close, but before long the familiar sound of Sokka's light snoring accompanied him to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: up to NC17, this chapter PG

Beta: the incredible banditjoeykuba

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: None in particular for this chapter, though later on there will be some fairly explicit m/m sex.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more. More kisses.

* * *

Zuko slept deep and well that night, but still he woke before the sun was up. He opened his eyes, orienting himself and remembering where he was. Sokka was still snoring against his shoulder, and Zuko could feel a wet patch on his shirt where, doubtless, he had been drooled on. He took a deep breath, looking for anger or frustration and finding only peace. He felt comfy, despite the drool. Still, the absolute last thing he wanted was for any of the others to find them like this, especially Katara.

He slowly peeled Sokka's arms from around him and got up. Sokka snorted and rolled over, splayed over his bedroll and snoring a little louder. Zuko smiled slightly, stepping around Sokka's things to get to the tent flap again.

"Well, that was quick," Toph said as soon as Zuko was out.

Zuko jumped a little, flames glowing at his fingertips before he calmed down again. He frowned at her, voice a harsh whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you didn't screw up." Toph grinned widely, tilting her face up at him. "So you didn't screw up?"

Zuko scowled, leading her away from Sokka's tent so they wouldn't wake him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come _on_," Toph said. "You guys totally have a thing for each other. I knew it as soon as Sokka started acting weird. And you spent the _night_ in his _tent_. Didn't get up to anything dirty from what I could tell, but hey, that's a whole night."

"Listen," Zuko said, gripping her arm hard. "You can't tell the others. Okay?"

Toph frowned. "You think you can keep it a secret?"

Zuko made a quiet frustrated sound, shaking his head. "Just … don't tell. We don't even know what we're doing yet. And I'd rather Katara didn't kill me."

"Well, you're no fun," Toph grumped, crossing her arms. "But fine, I won't tell anyone. But what are you guys going to do?"

"I … don't know," Zuko admitted, feeling suddenly down. Toph was right, there was no way they could keep it a secret in their small camp. And definitely no way they could keep sneaking to the other's tent to steal a few minutes of making out. Even if they kept any activities to nighttime, when Zuko wouldn't be practicing with Aang, they would be found out somehow. Zuko sighed, blowing the hair out of his eyes.

"Well … we're low on meat. You could be all manly and go out hunting," Toph suggested.

"I have to train the Avatar," Zuko pointed out. "I shouldn't go."

"Give him homework like you did before. Then he's set. I can keep him busy otherwise." She grinned again and punched him in the arm. "Don't screw it up."

Zuko just frowned, mind too busy. There was so much more he had to worry about screwing up … if Aang wasn't ready by the time the comet came, then it really wouldn't matter what he did with Sokka because they'd all be dead. Every minute counted. How could he think of himself at such a time?

"Just do it, Sparky. Living without you for a day or two won't kill us. I promise."

"I don't know," Zuko said, pulling away and looking off to the east where the sky was lightening. "I don't know what we'll do."

Toph sighed, sounding as frustrated as he felt. "I should've expected. Try not to be an idiot, okay? For Sokka's sake."

Zuko nodded and walked away, going to watch the sun rise and think about what she had said. She was perceptive for a blind girl. To his surprise, Zuko felt extreme reluctance to do anything that would hurt Sokka. But he had joined the Avatar for one reason and one reason only, and that reason was not to mess around with one of the Avatar's buddies. So rather than think about Sokka, he watched the sun rise and thought about what else he could drill Aang in.

* * *

The day was going smoothly. Zuko had succeeded in avoiding Sokka beyond the usual good mornings and pass the rice. He had stolen Aang for more firebending practice, and so far the forms were helping to take his mind off of everything. Aang was improving slowly, and that made Zuko quietly proud. He had been a little uncertain of his teaching abilities, but apparently he was adequate. He guided Aang through the forms until, suddenly, his gaze was caught by Sokka's lounging form watching them. He just managed to keep his aim proper, rather than burn down the forest behind Sokka.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead after getting into a resting pose, Zuko looked up at Sokka. "Did you need something?" he asked, keeping his voice casual. "More sword practice?"

"Just wondering if I could steal you for a hunting trip," Sokka said, getting up and approaching them. "We're almost out of meat, and I can't survive on duckrabbit food like Aang."

Zuko was already shaking his head. "I have to train the Avatar."

"No you don't!" Aang piped up, too excited for Zuko's pleasure. "I can handle myself on my own. Just give me homework like you did before."

Zuko narrowed his eyes, feeling suspicious. It was like they had all gotten together and talked about it. He was about to protest again when Sokka spoke up.

"Yeah, that'll be perfect. C'mon, Zuko, I already have a tent packed."

Eyes wide, Zuko turned back to him. Of course it would be one tent, it would be unnecessary to bring two on just a short hunting trip, and after all they were both boys, it was only to be expected … but Zuko saw something in Sokka's face that made him think that the trip wouldn't be as innocent as it seemed. It made him tense and nervous, and he felt a little angry that he was too cowardly to just _go_. It was _Sokka_, for crying out loud, not exactly the most intimidating guy in the Fire Nation.

He started when Aang's hand waved in front of his face, blinking again. Aang's face appeared in his line of sight, grinning widely. "Where'd you go, Sifu Hotman?" he asked. "You totally zoned out there."

Zuko shook his head, letting the nickname go. "Fine," he grumbled, going to get his swords from where they rested against a tree. "Let's go hunting."

"Great!" Sokka said, following after him. "Let's head this way, I saw this place where there's bound to be plenty of game. It'll be perfect."

"Same homework as last time," Zuko told Aang, shouldering his share of Sokka's pack. "Plus all of the Sun Warrior forms. You've been improving, so just keep it up."

Aang nodded, already getting started on more forms. "I'll tell the girls where you went!" he called after them, waving. "See you later!"

Zuko jogged a few paces to catch up with Sokka, still looking back towards their camp. He pushed down his nervousness – this was one time when he didn't need to think ahead. Rolling with Sokka's improvisation had worked out okay so far, so he'd just try to keep up and not let anything get too crazy.

"Mmm, meat!" Sokka said, grinning at him. "I can't wait. It'll be great."

"Yeah, I think you said that," Zuko pointed out quietly. They walked a little further, and his voice dropped more. "So…"

"So what?" Sokka asked, still smiling madly.

"This isn't just a hunting trip, is it."

The smile faded slightly, and Sokka shrugged. "I was thinking it'd be nice for us to get away. Just out doing our own thing without Katara watching our every move."

"And … just one tent?" Zuko asked, wanting to make sure.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Well, two would be dumb and heavier. Anyway … you're warm."

That was one response Zuko hadn't expected. He blinked. "Of course I am. I'm…"

"I know, you're a firebender." Sokka shrugged again. "It was comfy. And it would be nice not to have you run away before I wake up."

"I didn't run away," Zuko protested, even though he had. Cowardly and silly, that he was so afraid of Sokka's little sister, who was so much less terrifying than his own.

"It's fine," Sokka said, giving a little half-smile. "I wouldn't want the others to see either, you know? That's why we're going hunting, so no one can spy on us or anything."

_Spy on us doing what?_ Zuko didn't ask. Asking would be admitting … whatever they were doing. Which, so far, had consisted of a very nice make-out session and sleeping together. So Zuko decided not to force it to go anywhere it wouldn't go naturally.

Sokka didn't seem to have the same sort of plan. As soon as they were out of sight (and hopefully out of range of Toph's feet), Sokka grabbed his arm and pressed him back against a tree, kissing him harshly.

Zuko grunted quietly, reaching up to hold Sokka's arms and kissing back, because it was that or have his mouth eaten. He could taste blood and his lip stung a bit, but he ignored it in favor of the kiss. It was a different species of kiss than the one from the night before. That one had been confusing, a little hesitant, definitely softer. This one was more like an attack, though not a bad one. Sokka left him no room for retreat, pressing him against the tree and sticking his tongue so far into Zuko's mouth that Zuko wondered if he was supposed to swallow the thing. He pushed at Sokka, trying to make him calm down a bit, and Sokka took the hint, kissing a little less feverishly.

They parted at last, and Zuko took a deep breath. He couldn't remember when he had closed his eyes, when he had clenched Sokka's shirt in his hand, and he had to focus on unpeeling his fingers from the rough fabric. Sokka's face was very close, breath not quite firebender-hot on Zuko's lips.

Then Sokka laughed, breathy and nervous, and reached up to tug on Zuko's hair.

"You're so strange," Zuko meant to say, but it came out as an answering laugh, the kind that said, "I have no idea what we're doing, but it's nice for now so _please_ don't stop." He hoped Sokka got the message.

He felt Sokka smile again, felt a tug at his hair, and then he pulled away.

"This way," Sokka announced, leading the way with his sword in hand. There was a little swagger to his step as he marched into the forest, just a little springier than usual, and that was enough reassurance for Zuko. He followed.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: NC17, this chapter

Beta: the incredible banditjoeykuba

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: Fairly explicit m/m sex. If you're a minor or opposed to boylovin', pass this chapter by.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more.

* * *

They spent a good half of the day getting deeper into the forest, until Zuko was turned around enough that he could only tell the way back to camp by the angle of the sun. That was okay, though. Sokka had a map, and Sokka was good with maps. He stopped them in a small clearing, when the light filtering through the trees was orange with the setting sun.

"We oughta set up camp before it gets too late," Sokka said, slinging his pack down. "Maybe try to catch something for dinner. We don't have much more than rice."

"This might not be the best time for me to tell you I'm not that great at hunting." Zuko dropped his pack too, rolling his shoulders.

"I gotcha covered," Sokka said with a grin, pulling some snares out of his pack. "I'll set these up and we'll have something in no time."

Zuko nodded, letting him do that while he set up the tent and started a fire. He wasn't particularly good at tent setting-up either, but he managed to figure out how things were supposed to fit together. In any case, it probably wouldn't rain anytime within the next two days. The fire he could totally handle, though. No problem there.

"All set," Sokka said from behind him, making him jump. Sokka showed no sign of noticing, sitting in front of the fire. "Just have to wait for those tasty little meaty things to wander in."

"And how long does that take?" Zuko asked, sitting beside him.

Sokka shrugged, leaning back on his hands. "Could be a little while."

"Hmm," Zuko sighed, letting the silence stretch. He didn't know if there was some kind of next step he was supposed to take, or something he was supposed to do. But Sokka had that covered, or something like that. So he just listened to the fire crackle and worried quietly over what was expected of him.

"Sooo," Sokka said after a while, "so, uh, yeah. Here we are. Out here, all alone."

"Yeah," Zuko replied, at a loss for anything else to say.

"Soooo … yeah. I've gotta ask." Sokka shifted closer, staring right in his eyes with a serious look on his face. "Do you have a thing for my sister?"

"A _what_?" Zuko sputtered, turning bright red and pulling away. "_No_! How could … ugh! _No_! Do you have a thing for _mine_?"

The blood drained from Sokka's face, and an appropriately horrified expression widened his eyes and twisted his mouth. "_Fuck_!" he exclaimed, with more vehemence than Zuko had ever heard from him. "_No_! And you are a sick, sick man!"

"Well, you deserved it," Zuko said, straightening again. "Why would you even think that I had a thing for your sister? She's threatened to kill me. On multiple occasions."

"You did, y'know. Go off with her." Sokka flapped his hand off to the distance. "Doing who knows what."

"Getting her closure," Zuko insisted.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Sokka grinned a little, then got serious again. "And then you got back, and she was all, 'Oh, Zuko!' You know?"

To his surprise, Zuko did know. But he had never attributed Katara's change in behavior to anything more than accepted friendship. He shook his head, frowning slightly. "There's nothing on my end, I promise," he said quietly. "And if there's anything on hers, you can tell her to stop it. I'm just going to pretend you never, ever said that." He glanced at Sokka, looking at him with his good eye. "I really don't see the big deal. I went off with you and the Av – with you and Aang." He was getting better at saying it.

Sokka scoffed quietly, but seemed to have recovered from any horrifying mental images. "That was _different_," he said. "We're guys. But if you go off with a girl … hey, everyone knows what that's about."

Zuko turned that over in his head, watching the fire. "So … I went off with you. All alone. That's about something different?"

Picking up a stick, Sokka poked at the fire, studiously not looking at Zuko. "Uh … I dunno, yet. I guess it depends."

"Depends on what?"

Sokka shrugged. "On what you want to do. I mean, if you wanna stay just friends, that's cool. But I'd kinda like to do other things."

Zuko narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What kind of other things?"

"Like what we did before, with the kissing, and other stuff." Sokka shook his head a little, grinning. "And if you can't think of other things to do, then the Fire Nation is way more uptight than I thought they were."

Upon reflection, the Fire Nation was apparently very uptight, but Zuko refused to admit that. "So what, you've done all this before?"

"If by 'all this' you mean kissing, then yeah." Sokka's smile turned a little sad. "I had a girlfriend. But I barely met her before your furry friend Zhao destroyed her city and she turned into the moon."

"Zhao wasn't my friend," Zuko retaliated immediately, though he did feel somewhat bad for the part he had played up at the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. "But … I'm sorry. For your girlfriend. That must have been bad."

"Pretty much," Sokka sighed. "But, oh well, right? She's doing a pretty good job of being the moon, so I guess I can't complain. How about you, huh? That creepy girl, the one who helped us out of the Boiling Rock, she's your girlfriend, right?"

Zuko winced and looked away. "Not … really. I kind of dumped her, really roughly, right before I came to join the … Aang. She wasn't very happy with me. I don't know why she helped us, but I don't think it was out of feelings for me."

"Huh," Sokka said thoughtfully. He scooted closer and leaned back on his hands. "Probably best. She was creepy."

"We got along." Zuko shook his head a little. "I'll probably never see her again, though. Even if we win the war, she won't want anything to do with me."

"And you kissed her, right?"

Zuko glanced over again, seeing the honest curiosity in Sokka's face. "Yeah. Kind of. We didn't get much time alone. And yeah, that's all we did."

Sokka snorted and tilted his head back. "That sucks for you, man. And you were home for a while. Ever since Ba Sing Se, right?"

Zuko frowned, disliking that memory. "Yeah. But it wasn't that big of a deal. Not as though we could have done much without being married."

"They make you _wait_ for that?" Sokka asked, eyes wide. "That really sucks. Now I just feel sorry for you. You must have jerked off, like, ten times a day."

Zuko turned red and looked away. "_No_," he said, with feeling. "I know how to control myself. And even if I didn't, I wouldn't do … that. I was taught it dissipates chi."

Sokka just gaped, looking completely disbelieving of what he had just heard. "You … don't? You just don't? How do you _live_?"

"Just fine," Zuko snapped, frowning deeper. "It shows restraint and discipline, which you apparently lack."

"Yeah, and look what it's done to you," Sokka said, leaning in as though examining some fascinating new creature. "You're so cranky all the time."

"I am not!" Zuko shouted, and the fire grew about a foot in the air.

Sokka pulled back from the flames, looking between the circle of the fire and Zuko. Zuko met his eyes, slowly letting himself calm down and letting the flames sink to a manageable level again.

"Soooo," Sokka said slowly. "You wanna talk about this, or do something about it?"

Zuko huffed, crossing his legs and setting his face in his hands. "I don't even know what to do about it."

The fire flickered, rather more than it should have naturally, as Sokka scooted even closer. "I've got some ideas," he said quietly, close to Zuko's ear.

Zuko shivered a little, turning to look at him. It wasn't as though he didn't understand the desire. He was a seventeen-year-old boy, of course he had woken up in the mornings with a very specific sort of problem. But years aboard a ship, in exile, on the run, left little time or inclination for indulging his body, especially when sharing quarters with his uncle. Now that he had been having regular makeout sessions, whether with Mai or with Sokka, he had to fight to control himself as he had been taught. It definitely didn't make it any easier to have Sokka so close he could smell him, offering to … what, jerk him off? He bit his lip, half to distract himself from that thought. It was so, so tempting, but how could he let go of his painstakingly maintained control?

Sokka leaned forward just a bit, kissing him gently, and Zuko tilted his head to it. Kissing he could handle, that was something he knew how to do. Sokka's tongue poked at his lips, and he opened his mouth to it, kissing back in attempt to communicate that they were still okay. Sokka made a quiet noise, reaching up to brush at his hair and shifting even closer in the process. Zuko felt something unwind within him at that noise, and he pressed closer, kissing harder like Sokka had kissed him earlier. He tasted blood again, but didn't pull back until he had to breathe.

Sokka's hand remained in his hair, anchoring him in place as they both caught their breath. He blinked up at Zuko, blue eyes dilated, and licked his lips. "Yeah?" he asked quietly.

Zuko hesitated just a moment before nodding. "Not out here, though. In the tent?"

"Sure," Sokka replied, climbing to his feet and holding a hand out for him. Zuko took it and stood with him, fighting nerves and sudden desire. Still leading him by the hand, Sokka dragged him into the tent and sat.

Zuko sat next to him, straight and tense and entirely uncertain as to what he should do. His hands curled into fists; if he lost his control, he didn't want anyone getting burned accidentally. He jumped a little when Sokka's hand slid over his shoulders, brushing again at his hair.

"Relax, okay?" he said, leaning in to kiss the corner of his jaw. "Say stop and I'll stop. But nothing's going to happen if you don't loosen up a little."

Gentle fingers squeezed along Zuko's neck and shoulders, slowly relaxing him into the touches. "Close your eyes," Sokka whispered in his ear, still touching him lightly. "Just relax and let me do this."

Obediently, Zuko closed his eyes, tilting his head to Sokka's voice. "What next?" he asked quietly.

Sokka grinned, brushing his lips along Zuko's jaw. "Just let me make you feel good. Trust me, you need this."

Zuko nodded slightly, exhaling and trying to relax more. He focused instead on Sokka's hands, enjoying how they felt over his shoulders. He twitched slightly when one slid down his chest, inching into his shirt, but he managed not to tense up. Sokka shifted around so they could continue kissing, biting lightly at Zuko's lip before drawing him into a nice deep kiss. Zuko opened up a little more, leaning back on his hands so Sokka could draw his shirt open. Sokka gently untied the belt around his waist, opening his shirt and skimming his hands up Zuko's ribs. Zuko made a quiet sound when it tickled, kissing a bit harder.

At last, Sokka's hands went to the waist of Zuko's pants, making his breath hitch with nerves. Sokka muttered quiet nonsense into his mouth, slowly reaching in and under his loincloth. His fingers curled, warm and gentle around Zuko's erection.

Zuko gasped, eyes flying open and sparks shooting from his fingers with surprise. Sokka looked back calmly, though he did make a brief glance at the scorch marks now emanating from Zuko's fingers on the ground. "Shh," he muttered comfortingly, squeezing lightly with his hand and starting to stroke.

Tense now for an entirely new reason, Zuko leaned back a little more, biting his lip against any sounds he might make. Sokka's hand felt fantastic, warm and slightly rough with callous and just tight enough, like he knew what he was doing. Zuko very quickly got nice and hard, hips moving up with Sokka's strokes.

"Fuck," Sokka muttered in his ear. "This is … wow…"

Zuko just nodded in agreement, not trusting his voice not to shake or crack. He opened his eyes again, watching Sokka's face. His blue eyes had gotten even more intense and his mouth was open, panting against Zuko's neck. He was a little startled to realize that Sokka was enjoying this just as much as he was, and the thought sent a new wave of desire though him, making his arms shake and collapsing him to the ground.

Sokka took immediate advantage of his new position, climbing on top of him to get a better angle. Zuko shifted to accommodate him, spreading his legs a bit so Sokka straddled one leg, pressing their hips together.

"_Yes_," Sokka hissed, pressing back against him, and Zuko could feel just how much he was enjoying himself.

He gasped and closed his eyes, arching up more into Sokka's touches. It was intoxicating to be so aroused, to have the other boy so close he could feel every inch of him. Carefully, maintaining control of the fire raging in his veins, he reached up to pull at Sokka's shirt and pants. Sokka stilled his movement, panting a little harsher against Zuko's neck and lifting his hips to help with the undressing. At last, Zuko got his hand around him, just holding while he figured out what he wanted to do next.

"Like this," Sokka whispered, giving him one long, smooth stroke that made his back arch and his eyes fly open.

Zuko nodded, trying to copy the move. It seemed to work – above him, Sokka tensed and made another happy sound against his neck. As if in retaliation, Sokka started stroking him harder, with more purpose. Distracted from what he had been doing, Zuko abandoned himself to the pleasure washing over him, biting his lip to contain the sounds that rose in his throat. His free hand twitched against the floor of the tent.

"Fuck," he muttered quietly, unconsciously squeezing Sokka a little harder and pushing his hips up. He tilted his head back, panting for air and tensing as he came. It was amazing, like nothing he had ever experienced or expected, and he wondered for the first time why he had always been told not to indulge in such a way. It was brilliant, bright relief. Every muscle in his body felt loose and useless, but in such a glorious way that he couldn't complain.

"Wow," he heard Sokka say, as if from a great distance, and peeled his eyes open again. Sokka stared back, eyes wide and such a deep shade of blue that they were close to black. He felt hard and hot in Zuko's hand, and Zuko could feel him twitch with the need to move. Taking a deep breath, Zuko started stroking him again, watching closely as those ocean-deep blue eyes slid shut. Sokka's mouth fell open slightly and he moaned. He squeezed, and Sokka moaned louder. He rubbed his thumb over the tip and Sokka jerked against him, muttering a colorful string of curses into his shoulder and shooting hot, sticky liquid onto Zuko's hand.

Still catching his breath, Zuko remained where he was. It made him feel incredibly powerful to be able to control Sokka to such a degree. If the merest touch of his hand made him moan … well, more than the merest touch had reduced him to a hot, limp pile of flesh. Oh well, at least he hadn't said –

"So does your chi feel all dissipated?" Sokka mumbled, lifting his head enough that he could smirk at Zuko.

"Har, har," Zuko replied, though with little antagonism. Upon reflection, his paths of energy were flowing quite smoothly, and his seventh chakra felt particularly open. He felt a contented smile curl around his lips, closely followed by Sokka's mouth. He relaxed easily into the kiss, still feeling sated.

They parted again after a few moments, and Sokka slid off to one side, nudging at Zuko until he turned onto his side against Sokka's chest. Zuko settled back willingly, rearranging Sokka's arms to hold him better. They fell asleep like that, dinner and snares forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Reach For Me Now

Author: Neldluva ()

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zuko/Sokka

Rating: this chapter NC17

Beta: the incredible banditjoeykuba

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Avatar, but the story is mine.

Warnings: Fairly explicit m/m sex. If you're a minor or opposed to boylovin', pass this chapter by.

Summary: Insomnia leads to friendship, bonding, and the promise of more.

* * *

Zuko awoke the next morning to the peculiar sensation of Sokka's tongue on his earlobe. He grumbled quietly and batted, not wanting his sleep interrupted.

"Morning, sunshine," Sokka said cheerfully, and though Zuko couldn't see him, he could still hear the smirk in his voice. "Sleep good?"

Zuko grumbled more, intent on going to sleep again when he noticed Sokka's dark hand sliding down his chest. His breath caught, and he opened his eyes, watching the hand in its downward path. He watched as it drew open his shirt, rough fingers dragging along his pale skin and tracing the lines of his muscles.

"Take your gloves off," he muttered quietly, voice rough.

Sokka shivered a little behind him, reaching around to pull off his three-fingered gloves. Once bare, they continued tracing down Zuko's chest, sliding down to his pants and pushing them down. Zuko's breath hitched again as he felt Sokka's fingers wrap tight around him.

"Hmm," Sokka sighed warmly against his neck, sliding his fingers up and down. "Guess you aren't too tired…"

Zuko just bit his lips against a moan, moving against Sokka's hand. It still felt incredibly good, giving into the pleasure his body wanted. He reached back, finding the angle of Sokka's hip, and pulled him closer. Sokka moaned and pressed closer to him, and Zuko could feel how hard he was.

It was easier this time around. He was better able to relax, knowing the pleasure that was coming. It was so easy to just let Sokka move and bring him closer. His groans of pleasure grew more difficult to contain, and he breathed harder, and he felt his muscles tense in anticipation.

Sokka's lips brushed over his neck. "Feels good…" he murmured, squeezing gently as he stroked.

"Mmhmm," Zuko grunted in reply, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck, Sokka … almost…"

Sokka bit gently at his neck, stroking just a little harder. Zuko gasped, his back arching as he moved into Sokka's grip and came hard into his hand. He panted quietly, still holding Sokka's hip steady as his heart rate returned to normal. Sokka gently let go of him, at a loss with what to do with his hand for a moment before reaching to wipe it on their clothes.

"Wait," Zuko rasped, gripping Sokka's wrist and bringing it to his mouth. With barely another thought, he slid Sokka's fingers into his mouth and sucked gently. He reflected for a moment on the taste, which wasn't extremely off-putting. Sokka's fingers were slightly rough on his tongue, callused with handling his weapons. They squirmed a little, though not to get free.

"Fuck," Sokka hissed, pressing harder against his back. "Your _mouth_ … hot…"

That made Zuko grin a little, and he licked at Sokka's fingers once more before letting them go. He slowly turned on his back, then over again to face Sokka.

Sokka looked back at him, eyes wide and dilated, lips parted to pant. He squirmed, looking uncomfortable. "Zuko," he whispered, sliding his fingers through Zuko's hair to hold at the base of his skull.

Zuko sighed and tilted his head. The skin along Sokka's jaw looked smooth and tempting, so he bit lightly. Sokka squirmed harder, and he smiled internally. He was the one evoking this response, and it felt glorious. He gently pushed Sokka onto his back, hovering over him and nibbling along the thudding pulse in his neck. He bit a little harder, just to hear Sokka moan and tug at his hair, and he just managed to pull away before he bit hard enough to bruise. The last thing he needed was a mark on Sokka's neck. Katara would be sure to notice, and he doubted he would survive that. Any bruises would have to stay hidden.

So he slid down slowly, tugging open Sokka's shirt. He traced his way down with his teeth biting mouthfuls of warm brown skin and noting how much pressure was required to make impressions, or a bruise. Sokka hissed and made quiet sounds above him, but so far hadn't pushed him away, so he kept biting. Sokka's hand remained in his hair, pushing him down lightly and probably unconsciously.

Zuko continued down, biting hard right below Sokka's navel and pleased to note the lasting impression of his teeth. The hand in his hair tightened. He glanced up at Sokka, trying to figure out his next move. Living on a ship for more than two years with only men for company had done amazing things for his knowledge of what men did together. He knew, in theory, just how to touch Sokka to drive him crazy. Theory didn't include how it felt to have Sokka's hand in his hair, or the way Sokka's skin felt almost feverish-hot as he tugged down the pants, or the expression on Sokka's face that made his eyes look all pupil.

He shifted his gaze, watching his hand as he stroked tentatively at Sokka's cock. That had worked well enough the night before, and in theory he'd just have to do about the same thing with his mouth. He was honestly curious to see what it would feel like, what it would taste like, and just how long it would take to make Sokka come. Sokka made a desperate noise through his nose, yanking roughly at Zuko's hair and smoothing it apologetically afterwards.

"Not to rush you or anything," he said breathlessly, gaze intense on Zuko's face. "But I'm going kind of crazy here."

Zuko nodded, focusing again. He took a deep breath and leaned in, licking tentatively. He heard Sokka moan above him, but he tried to ignore it as anything other than a sign that he was doing something right. The taste wasn't too bad, and the texture was interesting, enough to make him want to explore. He opened his mouth to slide more in, one arm holding Sokka's hips down and the other hand holding him steady. He hummed thoughtfully, rubbing gently with his tongue, and felt Sokka's fingers tense in his hair. Slowly, he started moving, experimenting with how deep he could fit Sokka in his mouth. He gagged once on the hot flesh, swallowing through it and moving back a little.

Sokka's muttered curses and moans quickly grew louder and more explicit until at last they were just plain incoherent. Zuko moved a little faster, glancing up at him through his hair. He sucked harder at the slick flesh in his mouth, urging him closer until finally Sokka tensed and shouted. Zuko shut his eyes as his mouth was filled, shocked and unsure what to do with it. After a moment he decided to swallow, backing off and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sokka blinked up at him, still looking mostly dazed and spaced out. "Hey," he managed, voice hoarse. He tugged at Zuko's hair, more gently this time. "Come on up here."

Zuko slid up again, not trusting his voice. His mouth still tasted strongly of Sokka, and he quietly savored it, feeling weirdly content with what he had just done. He felt Sokka's arms wrap loosely around him, the brush of his breath as his nose ran along Zuko's jaw.

"That was fucking amazing," Sokka whispered, dropping kisses down his neck. "Whoa. Definitely going to have to try that again."

Zuko just chuckled, allowing the touches for a little while before sitting up. "I believe there was a matter of meat?" he reminded, feeling his voice rasp more than usual.

Sokka snorted as he got up, arranging his clothing. "Fine. Killjoy." He pecked once more at Zuko's lips before leaving the tent. Zuko felt an uncharacteristically happy grin spread over his face and followed him out.

* * *

Skinning, cleaning, and preparing meat turned out to be more work than Zuko had anticipated. He returned the fire to a tolerable blaze while Sokka went to collect the animals from his snares. Sokka came back with a couple of rabbitbadgers and a quailfrog, setting them at Zuko's feet.

"I'll take the bird," he offered. "That's the messy one."

Zuko eyed the rabbitbadgers, picking one up. "Um," he said quietly. "I don't know what to do with it."

Sokka gaped for a moment, then seemed to swallow his first teasing reaction. "It's not that hard," he said, scooting closer to show Zuko where to cut. "A little messy, but that's okay, right? So just right along here…"

Zuko followed the directions, using the sharp knife borrowed from Sokka. It was messy, and his meat was cut less skillfully than Sokka's, but it seemed to pass muster. In celebration, he cooked some of it for them to share.

"Mmm, meat!" Sokka shouted joyously, wolfing down his portion as though he hadn't eaten in days. "Oh man, that's almost as good as seal jerky … I think I can die happy now."

Zuko smiled slightly, eating his meal more slowly. "If that's all it takes to please you, I don't know why we don't go hunting more often," he noted, relaxing before the fire as the rest of the meat cured in the smoke. "It's not that difficult after all."

"Nope," Sokka agreed happily, looking up at the sky through the trees. "Think we'll be able to make it back tonight?"

Trying to school his features to neutrality, Zuko stared into the fire. He had almost forgotten that they would have to return to the others, back to inquisitive Aang and Toph who could watch them with her feet and Katara, who tended to be nosy, especially about anything to do with her brother. Zuko quietly dreaded the reunion and the subsequent loss of privacy they would have, particularly since he couldn't seem to stop touching Sokka every chance he got. So he shrugged noncommittally. "Don't know."

"Yeah." Sokka picked up a stick, drawing meaningless patterns in the dirt. "I mean … while we're camping, we might as well stay out here, right? At least we don't have Katara waking us up at the crack of dawn."

Zuko fell quiet again, concentrating on raising and lowering the fire for a moment. "I … I might have an idea," he started. "Probably nothing like your ideas, but … well, my family used to vacation on this island. We had our own house there, but we haven't been there in a really long time. We'd be in the Fire Nation, but my father would never look for us there. And we would be able to live in a house, on beds." He shrugged again. "Could be a nice change from camping."

"Huh," Sokka said thoughtfully, looking at him. "And it would be safe?"

"The house is pretty remote, and has its own beach. I bet no one would see us, even if we flew Appa in. I think we'd be safe."

"Sounds like a _great_ idea," Sokka sighed happily. "_Beds_ again … I haven't slept on a bed since before the Invasion, when we stayed at this creepy old lady's inn. Not the most restful sleep, I'll tell you that."

Zuko lifted his eyebrow, mildly amused. "Well, I can't guarantee our old house isn't haunted. My dad lived there. But the beds should still be good."

"And that's all that matters." Sokka stood again, starting to pack the meat again for their trip back to camp. "Let's get going!"

* * *

Katara's reaction to Zuko's idea was slightly less explosive than they had anticipated, but it still went something along the lines of, "Sokka you idiot how can we trust him why would we go back to the Fire Nation now this is all too dangerous!" Fortunately, Aang and Toph both seemed to be in favor of sleeping under a roof in real beds again, and with their help Sokka and Zuko managed to talk Katara into the plan. So shortly after their return with fresh meat, they were all in the air again on a direct course for Ember Island.

It was late in the night when they finally reached the beach house, and most of them went directly to sleep as soon as they had landed. Zuko left them in the room they had chosen, a large guest suite with room enough for all of them. Instead, he went to search out his old room, trailing through the thick dust covering the floor. He stopped in front of the doors, taking a deep breath before opening them. The candles lit with a thought, illuminating his old bed and some childhood possessions. A small collection of seashells was spread out on a bureau.

He ran one hand over the red quilted silk of the bedspread, smoothing away the dust that had accumulated on the fine sheets. They still smelled faintly of the sachets tucked around the bed and between the pillows to keep the insects away. He brushed away more dust and settled on the bed, curling up on his side. He sighed quietly, appreciating the mattress after days of sleeping on the ground, or on thin straw bedrolls.

He had nearly drifted to sleep when he heard Sokka's footsteps enter the room. The old wood of the floorboards creaked under his weight, though he tried to be quiet. Zuko felt a faint smile curl around his lips, and he shifted to let Sokka settle behind him.

"Night," Sokka yawned sleepily, pressing his nose under Zuko's hair against his neck.

Zuko just smiled and pulled Sokka's arm a little tighter around his chest. Pressed close, they drifted to sleep.


End file.
